Health survey pinpoints community concerns

On Sept. 19, Anne Horsham and three of her community-activist friends sat around her dining table and considered conditions in Port Jervis.

Jessica Cohen

On Sept. 19, Anne Horsham and three of her community-activist friends sat around her dining table and considered conditions in Port Jervis almost one year after administrators at Bon Secours Community Hospital announced their intent to close the maternity unit.

The maternity unit is open, as the group's signs around Port Jervis remind the city. But the state Health Department has made no final judgment.

Health Department spokesman Peter Constantakes said Health Department representatives and Bon Secours administrators "are still having ongoing discussions to reach an agreement that will please as many people as possible. But they're keeping close to the vest about it."

Meanwhile, said Jack Austin, "The maternity unit is not the only issue. It's a natural evolution to broaden the picture."

Toward that end, the group devised a questionnaire about other health issues that they used to randomly survey 100 people at the Port Jervis Night Out and Community Day.

Their efforts so far have drawn responses mostly from women. Valerie Maginsky tallied the results and found a variety of prevalent issues. While 40 percent of respondents have anxieties about obstetrical, gynecological and pediatric care, she said, 57 percent are concerned about vision care and 51 percent are concerned about dental care.

"Dental care is difficult to provide consistently for the needy," as providers are inconsistently available, said Austin, a recently retired Orange County social worker.

The poor condition of many city sidewalks is a problem identified by 55 percent of respondents, said Maginsky, and Heather Beebe concurred.

"If I don't look at the sidewalk when I'm walking at night, I'll fall on my face," she said. The others agreed that broken sidewalks are the reason people push strollers in the road.

Another 38 percent said "fresh and healthy foods" were lacking.

Horsham said that issue is being addressed at the Save-A-Lot grocery store on Jersey Avenue, where a $6,962 grant from the State Department of Agriculture and Markets provides fresh produce in summer and fall, plus nutrition education and health screenings.

Kathy Shortell, the director of the Port Jervis Nutrition and Senior Dining Program, does monthly cooking demonstrations at Save-A-Lot, and representatives from Bon Secours have done diabetes screenings. The next cooking demonstration is scheduled for Tuesday from 4-6:30 p.m. at Save-A-Lot.

Transportation and recreation also pose challenges for about 40 percent of respondents, said Maginsky, adding, "What's in town for adults? The library and bars."

Being at home can be troublesome, too. For 30 percent, "safe and clean housing" is a problem, Maginsky said.

Austin, who was a Realtor for 30 years, said that too many Port Jervis residences are "strictly investments" for out-of-town landlords.

"With marginal maintenance, people live in substandard housing with holes in floors and ceilings, moldiness, and high lead levels," he said.

Harmonious homes are also a concern, as 20 percent said they were interested in family planning and parenting classes.

Austin said he would like to see mandatory information sessions on parenting and nutrition for welfare beneficiaries as a way of "breaking the cycle" of intergenerational social problems.

Horsham, who works for WIC at Middletown Community Health Center, said, "Getting to know people, building relationships, and developing trust" make WIC a good place to bring educational programs.

Maginsky said she would like to see a "core group" trained to take blood pressure and get other data, "like having WIC (Women, Infants, and Children program) on every block."

Having identified community health issues in their surveys, the activists, calling themselves Citizens for Our Healthy Community, are planning a community meeting to address an array of topics.

It will be held at 3 p.m. Oct. 14 at Deerpark Reformed Church, 30 E. Main St., Port Jervis.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.